Gold Types GLD"London Good Delivery" bars represents the standard measure of quality of gold bullion used in physical transactions in the London market and is the accepted standard worldwide. A London Good Delivery bar must be at least 995 parts per 1,000 pure gold, with 999.9 being the highest possible quality. The minimum weight is 350 fine ounces and the maximum is 430 fine ounces. The weight of each bar is expressed in troy ounces in multiples of 0.025, complying with the procedures established by the LBMA. Each bar must bear a serial number and the stamp, or chop, of an approved refiner as designated in the London Good Delivery List of acceptable smelters and assayers.

DORYMost major gold mines process their gold-bearing ore at the site of the mine, producing low purity ‘dory’ bars and the Exhibition includes samples of these rough bars which are sent to gold refineries for upgrading into tradeable bars of high purity (99.5% or more). ‘Dory’ bars are normally large, some weighing as much as 25 kg.

NuggetsThe Exhibition tells the story of gold from its original form as ore or nuggets and displays samples of nuggets from Australia, the USA and South Africa. The discovery of gold nuggets stimulated four great gold rushes in the 19th century: USA (1840s), Australia (1850s), South Africa (1880s) and Canada (1890s). These four countries, together with Russia, still dominate the world’s supply of newly-mined gold. While most nuggets are small, the largest known nugget was the ‘Welcome Stranger’. Discovered in Australia in 1858, it weighed 2,284 oz (71 kg).